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Are England repeating the Harry Kane error? Wayne Rooney has shared a word of caution with Thomas Tuchel, urging him not to make the same mistake that Gareth Southgate did regarding Kane’s fitness management. Although the captain once again found the back of the net in a 2-0 win over Panama, the Three Lions’ all-time leading goal scorer continues to be the focus of discussion about his workload during major tournaments.

Rooney has called for more intelligent management of Kane’s game time.

England endured a frustrating first half against a robust Panama side, going into half-time with the score level at 0-0. However, they found their rhythm after the break. Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute with a clever flick from a corner, before Kane doubled the lead just five minutes later with a precise header. Rooney believes Tuchel should act decisively to protect Kane’s fitness by substituting him late in matches that are already under control.

“In previous tournaments with Harry Kane, I think he has looked a little bit tired towards the end of tournaments,” Rooney told BBC Sport. “He came off in the 84th minute, I think the minute he scored and England were 2-0 up and the game is done, get him off. Even if there are 20 minutes left, you know in the last 20 minutes of games, that is when you get fatigued and that is when it takes the most out of you.”

Rooney also reflected on lessons from past tournaments where Kane appeared to fade as the competition progressed. The former Manchester United star emphasised that when a game is secure, there is no reason to keep the captain on, particularly with the Golden Boot competition heating up between top names like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

“We’re in danger now of going into a World Cup where you have got Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe, Harry Kane, Vini Jr, all trying to get the Golden Boot when it’s about the country. We saw it with Southgate when he never took Kane off. I hope Tuchel learns from that and gives him a rest when he can,” Rooney added.

Tuchel, meanwhile, stood firm in defence of his team’s effort in the Panama victory, praising their discipline and patience against a side that offered little space. The German tactician admitted that while the performance wasn’t free-flowing, the result reflected England’s superiority across the pitch.

“We did what was needed,” Tuchel said after the final whistle. “It was what we expected – a tough match against a physical opponent. It was difficult to score – we were the only team to create this number of chances and scored twice against them. We were very aggressive. We had to be careful with counter-attacks because they’re strong – we did well and deserved to win, but it was hard work.”

England’s win ensured they finished top of their group, setting up a Round of 32 encounter with DR Congo. With the group stage now behind them, Tuchel is eager to see his squad raise their performance levels as they enter the knockout rounds.

“There’s more to build on,” Tuchel remarked. “You have to get so many details right. It’s an aggressive approach that we take to defend one-on-one. If you’re close to the pitch, you see it. The tournament starts again now in the knockouts. Now we collect our strengths and we build on what we have – the team spirit, fighting spirit, the belief – and we will step up. The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get.”